Approval of Neck Stent Spurs
Debate Over Stroke Prevention

By

Thomas M. Burton Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Updated Sept. 1, 2004 12:01 a.m. ET

The federal government yesterday approved a new stroke-prevention device that is expected to reap hundreds of millions of dollars in sales. But already, the innovation is raising safety concerns among some physicians.

The device, from Indianapolis-based Guidant Corp., is a stent designed to prop open the carotid artery in the neck and ease blood flow to the brain, thereby preventing stroke. The stent could displace invasive carotid-clearing surgery that is performed more than 160,000 times a year in the U.S. In winning...